If This Feeling Flows Both Ways
by ohmytheon
Summary: Upon starting at UA, Kaminari was pretty sure being a hero was going to be all about being a hit with the ladies, so of course he accidentally develops a massive crush on one of his friends and can't catch a break when it comes to asking her out. (Or: three times Kaminari tries to ask Uraraka out and fails, three times he tries to get over her, and one time she surprises him.)
1. Chapter 1

**Notes:** This was for the free day for BNHA Rare Pair Week, so I decided to use this as an excuse to write my Kamichako idea finally that I've had since Rare Pair Month. Not only is this the first time I've written Kamichako, but this also marks the first time I've written from Kaminari's POV, which turned out to be a lot more freaking fun than I realized. I love one (1) local dumbass. He's got some growing up to do. Originally this was going to be a one-shot, but since it ended up being 11k, I decided to divide it. My attention span has been at an all-time low, so it just made sense to me. Shout out to Kela on the Kacchako Discord for letting me talk to her about this and listening to all my dumb ideas!

* * *

As far as first attempts at asking out a girl went, Kaminari didn't think he'd done terrible. It had been more of an issue of timing. He should've asked earlier or waited until they weren't about to start class. His approach had been solid. She had responded to him (mochi, she liked mochi, that was cute), setting him up perfectly. All he had to do was ask if she wanted to go out for her favorite food. Sure, she might've said yes because it was something friends did and that was totally fine (even if it would crush his soul a little), but hey, a guy could dream.

After all, Uraraka was very cute.

He wouldn't profess to be amazing with girls, but he knew he wasn't bad. He wasn't the smartest, but he was funny and, from what he'd been told, more than cute. Maybe he could stand to work on his confidence and his grades, but he wasn't obnoxious. Well, he didn't think he was, but other people might disagree. Hey, he was fifteen. He had some room and time to grow. She could understand that, right? He looked at her somewhat anxiously as she responded "mochi" and he thought, _That's so cute_ , and opened his mouth to reply and-

Then she gasped, "Deku!" and was off running to check on Midoriya and Kaminari saw all his dreams go right down the drain. He'd already been thinking of places where they could get mochi, what he should wear, what she would wear, what he could talk about (maybe the basics like why he chose to attend UA or stuff about his quirk, no wait, he had to ask questions, girls liked that), and it was gone.

He wasn't even a blip on her radar. In fact, he was so far off her radar, it was like he'd never been there to begin with. She probably wouldn't even remember this very short-lived conversation, but he felt it in his gut. This was going to haunt him for the rest of high school. He'd been told no before, sure, but he'd never been forgotten so quickly. It made sense, seeing as how Midoriya had not only saved Uraraka from a zero point bot but also took on Bakugou like a badass. It was still a wound to his ego.

Okay, maybe he was being a little dramatic, but getting brushed off like that, even if it was totally by accident, was either like a punch to the gut or getting shocked by his own quirk a little too much. Not enough to stun him completely but just enough to make him freeze. It wasn't pleasant at all. Everyone was crowded around Midoriya, asking him questions, and she was hanging on every stammered word.

Someone pat him on the back and he looked down to see Mineta, who wore the most mournful expression that Kaminari had ever seen. It was like someone had died. Oh, so this was public humiliation. It was awful. "Tough luck, man."

A nervous grin twitched onto Kaminari's face. "What do you mean?" Mineta had been in the group surrounding Midoriya seconds ago. Maybe he hadn't seen anything and was just talking about the combat training class.

"She didn't even realize what you were asking, did she?" Mineta responded.

Kaminari winced. Ah, so Mineta knew exactly what had happened. This was bad. They'd barely been at UA. He did not want to start his time out here as the guy who got brushed off. What if other girls heard about this? What if they did it too? What if he never got a date during high school?

No, he was being ridiculous. Of course he would. He was a UA student in the hero course! That would surely make him attractive to other girls, especially ones that didn't go here. Come the Sports Festival where he could show off, no one would forget about him. He just hadn't made a strong enough impression on Uraraka. It made perfect sense. This was just the beginning.

He'd get another shot. Maybe. All he had to do was try.

* * *

Kaminari wasn't going to lie: his second attempt at asking Uraraka out was by far a disaster. By the time their second year rolled around, he'd gone through approximately three phases. It wasn't like he'd spent the entire time pining over her - which wasn't a bad thing either, seeing as how she'd spent the same amount of time pining over Midoriya. It was obvious to everyone but him, no matter how much she tried to shove it down. Kaminari liked her and all, but he wasn't about to ask her out while it was obvious she was into someone else, so he moved on.

Hey, he was young! He turned sixteen in his first year of high school, faced off way more villains than he'd actually planned, went on an awesome trip (where he worked his ass off and faced more villains), got his Provisional Hero License, figured out much more versatile ways to use his quirk, and got stronger. Still probably needed to work on that grade front, but at least he hadn't failed his final exam before spring break. He could go into his second year with his head held high. He was doing good!

So what if he hadn't actually gone on a date? That wasn't a total loss. It wasn't like he'd never kissed a girl before, unlike Mineta. He could be way worse off.

A few months into their second year, Kaminari had caught on to a noticeable change in Uraraka. By now, they'd actually become good friends. Yeah, she would always be more in Midoriya's group and she had her girl friends, but Uraraka had this way about her that brought everyone in. You couldn't help but like her and want to be friends with her. Even Bakugou had warmed up to her in his own way, which meant that Uraraka often hung out in their group too.

(Kaminari might have panicked about that. What if Uraraka moved on from her crush to Midoriya only for it to transfer to Bakugou? He _was_ a certified badass.)

Besides Ashido, she definitely got along with the guys though. Hanging out with Uraraka was fun too. She wasn't afraid to be silly. Even though Ashido wasn't one for video games, Uraraka often joined him, Kirishima, and Sero for game nights. She got really competitive about it too. Hearing her get worked up and swear over losing had made him laugh so hard that he'd cried a little. No one that cute should have such a potty mouth like that. It was kind of endearing. Not so much when she got super scarily intense and kicked their ass in class.

Plus, with the use of her quirk, they could get up to all sorts of shenanigans. Hiding Bakugou's favorite snacks in the ceiling panels might have been one of her best and most devious ideas ever. She was always down for one of their pranks. She was just as enthusiastic as any of them, many times offering up her own ideas, no matter how ridiculous they were. She got really into them, which he thought was cool too.

Besides, it wasn't like she could do as many with her other friends. As Class President, Iida would probably rather be caught dead before he did a prank. It wasn't like he'd never broken a rule before, but he was trying to be on his very best behavior. Midoriya might have wanted to get in on it, but he tended to stay away from pranks that involved Bakugou as a target. Sometimes, she was even able to rope Todoroki into helping them, which was always a pleasant surprise.

(Again, Kaminari lowkey panicked. Todoroki was powerful, known to be thought as the most attractive boy in the class by the girls in both hero courses, and, even worse, rich as hell. Who wouldn't worry?)

Without him realizing it, she had started to spend more time with their group. And her once obvious crush on Midoriya? He didn't see it anymore. When they hung out, there wasn't this look in her eyes like she wanted more. If they accidentally touched or got close, there was no blushing. They were still close and very warm with each other, but it was different. It was friendly. Just friendly.

And that was when Kaminari realized it was his time to shine.

Except that he completely botched his attempt at asking her out.

He thought he might've done okay. When he had told her about the arcade, she had seemed really excited about it. Sure, he might've stammered and rambled a little (who was he - Midoriya?), but he managed to get through it for the most part. He'd just thought, since she liked video games and all, she would enjoy the arcade too and he went there all the time with the guys. That was his real first mistake. He should've never mentioned his friends because then she got it in her head that the arcade meant friends.

Which it did and she was a friend, but… He hadn't meant it in that way for her at that very moment. He'd definitely wanted it to be a "more than friends" outing.

He had made it even worse by explaining it as a great place for "lots of people" or something along those lines. He couldn't remember exactly what he'd said. The moment she had started to look interested, he had kinda panicked because while he had hoped she would want to go, he might've been expecting another accidental blow off. But no, she was interested and wanted to go with him and he'd done it, but now he had to explain himself. Why had he thought he had to explain himself? He hadn't used his quirk so much that it turned him into a dummy. So why had he been acting like an idiot?

And then he tapped her on the back when they agreed on a time, which was like...the ultimate bro thing to do. It was like what he and Sero did. Why had he done that too?

Kaminari hadn't realized the true extent of his fuck up until Uraraka met up with him at the arcade - along with Midoriya, Asui, and Todoroki. Oh. She had thought he meant it as a group outing, not a date. At first, he had been completely thrown, especially when Midoriya thanked him for the idea. Once it hit him though, after mentally flipping back through his conversation with her, he had damn near electrocuted himself.

"Where's everyone else?" Uraraka asked him goodnaturedly as they walked inside.

"Uh, they're...on their way!" Kaminari blurted. "Running late."

It didn't occur to him until that very moment that while he liked everyone in this group, especially Uraraka and Todoroki, he'd never hung out with her group of friends without any of his closest pals. It had always been her in his group. He didn't know why that made him panic. He was friends with everyone here. They were cool. He was totally fine hanging out with them, but then he didn't want Uraraka to realize that he'd just meant for it to be the two of them at the arcade.

After excusing himself to the restroom, Kaminari locked himself inside and whipped out his phone, making the fastest call in his entire life. As soon as Kirishima picked up, before he could say anything, he hissed, "What are you doing? Actually, I don't care. Grab Sero, Ashido, whoever - fuck, grab Bakugou - and meet me at the arcade."

"What?" Kirishima had obviously been caught off guard. "Why do you sound so serious about the arcade?"

"Because I-" Kaminari cut himself off. He really didn't want to explain because then Kirishima would know and he was really close friends with him, but this was embarrassing. He couldn't believe he'd fucked up so bad.

"Dude, just tell me," Kirishima said. "I promise I won't make fun of you." He paused for a moment while Kaminari went back and forth on what he should say. Honestly, he wasn't that great of a liar. "You didn't accidentally short-circuit one of the games again, did you?"

"No!" He hadn't done that in a while, thank you very much. Kaminari sighed in defeat. Might as well rip the band-aid off and get it over with. Either he or Sero would probably figure it out once he got here. Maybe he shouldn't have invited Ashido. She would definitely realize what happened. Uraraka was her closest girl friend. "I told Uraraka you were coming."

"Why would you tell her that?" Kirishima asked, sounding very confused.

Kaminari didn't answer. He couldn't, not without feeling even more like an idiot than he already was. Uraraka was probably out there already having fun with Midoriya, Todoroki, and Asui - fun he had wanted her to have with him. Okay, so if he ever left the bathroom, they could still have fun together, but now they were very obviously in friend territory. It was fine. He was fine.

Until Kirishima finally said, "Oh no." Kamarini cringed. He knew. He definitely knew. "You tried to ask Uraraka out, didn't you?"

"Maybe?" Kaminari replied weakly.

"And what? She thought you meant as friends?"

"I kind of figured that when Midoriya, Asui, and Todoroki came with her," Kaminari said, his shoulders sagging against the door. "Unless she knew I was asking her out and invited them along so she wouldn't feel awkward or be forced to turn me down." Panic started to gnaw at him again. "Oh shit, what if that's why they came too?"

"Nah, I don't think she'd be that...sneaky about it," Kirishima told him. "She'd be upfront with you. It sounds like she just got confused."

Kaminari groaned. "I did word it really dumb. Ugh, I can't believe I failed this bad. You don't have to come."

Kirishima chuckled good-naturedly. "No worries, bro. I got you. I'll grab Sero and Mina. Bakugou is busy being mad about something and it's best not to bother him in this mood."

"Thanks," Kaminari said. "I owe you one."

"Get me some tokens and we'll call it even."

When Kaminari left the bathroom, it didn't take him long to find the others. Uraraka and Midoriya were playing DDR like their lives depended on them. She didn't even miss a beat when she waved at him and exclaimed, "You can play winner!" She grinned at him. "I can kick your ass too."

"I don't think so!" Midoriya laughed, although there was determination on his face. Kaminari's eyes flickered to the scoreboard. Maybe if he used his quirk he could beat her, but Midoriya was behind in points. It should've been illegal for her to be so graceful on a game that was essentially jumping around.

He coughed and looked away from her, stammering out, "You-you're on!" Yeah, there was way too much jumping around. She would definitely kick his ass. He'd be way too distracted glancing over at her to win, even if he did normally rock at that game. He had to think of something else for a second. Maybe she would mess up and Midoriya would win. That would be much better.

It didn't happen. Uraraka won and Kaminari took Midoriya's place. She picked one of the fastest games, giving him a big smirk even as she breathed heavily. By the time they finished, he had an abysmal score and was so red in the face he felt like he was on fire. At least he could blame it on the workout. Uraraka whooped triumphantly, having apparently beaten everyone, and jumped off the game to get more tokens.

"Wow," Todoroki said, peering at their scores, "you did worse than me."

"Ha," Kaminari managed.

Todoroki glanced at him. "You weren't really paying attention though, so that makes sense."

"It was a really hard song!" Kaminari insisted before rushing away. Tokens. He had to get tokens for himself and Kirishima. He had promised. What did Todoroki know about DDR? He wasn't that into video games, even though he had scarily good coordination with fighting games the few times he played with them.

After getting tokens, Kaminari chose a first person shooter game, thinking it might help him cool his nerves. If he kept this up, he really would short-circuit a game and he couldn't afford to do that again. Uraraka would think he was totally uncool if he did that - and he might not be allowed to come back for a while. After dying the first time, he decided to give it another go, when someone bumped shoulders with him.

"Hey," Uraraka said next to him. "Mind if I join you as your second?"

"Yeah, totally," Kaminari quipped. What was he freaking about? It was Uraraka. Even if she had misunderstood what he'd meant when he had brought up the arcade, they were still friends. He still enjoyed spending time with her and hanging out. He wouldn't have been acting this way had the original plan been for all of them to come as a group. He just needed to chill and have fun. She was, from the looks of it. "You better have my back though."

Uraraka nudged him again. "As long as you've got mine."

"I'll have you know," Kaminari drawled, "I'm really good at this game."

"I don't know about that." Uraraka teased, giving him a wink. "You looked like you could use some help earlier from where I was standing."

Kaminari managed to not swallow the sudden lump in his throat until she looked at the screen to set up herself up as player two. Oh shit. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. He'd thought he was just asking her out because she was cute, nice, and fun to be around. It couldn't hurt to ask her out and try. Either she said yes or she didn't. They would still remain friends, right? He had to put himself out there.

It hadn't occurred to him that it might be something more. He hadn't just asked her out because of those things. He had asked her out because… Did he like her? Was this an actual crush? A serious, honest to god, not just because she's hot crush? He kind of wanted to die. Instead he turned to the arcade game and threw his entire focus into it. Now he really had to prove that he was good at this game.

Well, this took a sudden turn of events. Now he was the one with what was probably an obvious crush, especially since Kirishima now knew that he'd asked her out. And she hadn't realized it. Probably still didn't and never would because he'd never have the balls to move past this stage. Because he did like her and he had wanted to go out as more than friends, but he had the simultaneous realization that they were friends too. He didn't want to mess up with her either way. Plus, there was school to think about. He was here to become a hero, not score chicks, right?

He was beginning to understand why Uraraka had shoved her crush on Midoriya away until it was gone.

* * *

"Why didn't you just tell her, ribbit?"

Kaminari nearly jumped out of his shoes, leaping at the sudden question on his right, but when he looked over, it was just Asui staring up at him. There was a very serious, knowing expression on her face. To be honest, it was actually kind of scary and he did not want to be the recipient of it. However, when he looked around, it was just him. The question hadn't been meant for anyone else.

"I don't know-"

"Kaminari," Asui interrupted in that blunt way of hers, "it's obvious you like Ochako."

He couldn't help it; he burst out into nervous laughter. "What? Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You asked her to come to the arcade to spend time with her," Asui pointed out, continuing to make him want to melt into a puddle. Couldn't she spare him this humiliation? Did she have to be so upfront? What if someone heard her? His eyes darted around, but no one else was looking at them, not even Uraraka, who was busy talking with Sero and Kirishima about Todoroki's abnormally high scores on the racing games. "You two played almost every game together, even the ones you don't like. You let her choose nearly all of them."

"I did not," Kaminari protested, "and I liked all the games I played."

Asui put a finger to her chin. "How many tokens did you spend on that crane game to get her that plushie?"

Kaminari turned bright pink and looked away, muttering, "Not that many." He'd gotten it though, so that was all that mattered. He felt rather accomplished. He'd never been good at the crane games.

"You should-"

"We're friends," Kaminari interrupted, a little harsher than he intended.

When Asui gave him one of her patented take-no-bullshit looks, he cringed and gave her an apologetic smile. He hadn't meant to snap. It wasn't like him. He was just...embarrassed. How had he not realized he had an actual crush on her? Maybe because all the other times, things had been on the surface level. A girl was cute, a woman was hot, and that had really been as far as his thinking had gone. It was really childish and dumb. Yeah, duh, Uraraka was attractive as hell, but he liked a lot of other things about her too. It might've been those other things that had pushed him to attempt to ask her out again.

"We're just friends," Kaminari repeated, maybe more for himself than Asui. Even if they had played a ton of games together, Uraraka hadn't acted any differently with him as far as he was aware. It was just business as usual. Silly, light-hearted friendship as usual. It wasn't like how she acted when she'd had that massive crush on Midoriya. No, he was definitely just a guy friend in her eyes.

Was he pouting? Absolutely not.

Asui shook her head. "You're a bad liar, ribbit."

Kaminari groaned. "Please don't remind me."

It was painful enough as it was. Now Asui knew too? He knew she wouldn't tell anyone, not even Uraraka, who was her best friend. Kirishima wouldn't either, so he didn't have to worry about other people finding out through them. But himself? Yeah, that was another story. He couldn't even lie to himself anymore. How was he supposed to keep this a secret from other people? He was terrible at keeping secrets. What a clusterfuck.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:** Kaminari is growing up and sometimes it's not fun getting more mature. He's trying though.

* * *

Taking inspiration from Uraraka herself, Kaminari decided he needed to move on. None of this crush business! At least not on her. He didn't like the idea of making things awkward or losing her as a friend. The guys would never forgive him if she stopped hanging out with them because he asked her out and it was too weird for her after turning him down. That was the only way he could picture it going down. First she had accidentally brushed him off. Then she misunderstood him. Saying no was the obvious next step.

He needed to find someone else. It should've been easy with so many girls at UA, almost all of them attractive, smart, funny, and nice. He was an easy-going guy. He got along with everyone! He'd even matured a little beyond drooling over hot girls, if he said so himself. At seventeen, he was close to being a catch. His quirk was now one of the strongest in the class, he was good-looking, and he was funny. Plus, his grades were getting better. Things were looking up, so why shouldn't he keep looking too?

His first attempt was a success until it wasn't. Thinking it was a safe bet, he had asked Jirou out. They were pretty good friends and he didn't think things would become awkward between them if the date turned out to be a dud. Shockingly, she said yes right off the bat. Score one for him! He'd get over this hopeless crush on Uraraka in no time and he could go back to just being friends with her and happy about it.

Things were going great on the date. They went to the movies and saw a comedy they both enjoyed, making jokes throughout the whole thing. He bought her a drink and she got his favorite candy. It was cool. It was fun.

It wasn't until they went to a diner to get something to eat that he realized they hadn't acted any differently than they always did with each other. As friends. He was having a great time and she seemed to be as well, but nothing felt different between them. They didn't try to hold hands and he hadn't thought to throw his arm around her during the movie or her lean into him or anything. They even went to the same diner that they went to with all their friends, the only difference being that he paid, but she told him he didn't have to do that.

Jirou became a little distant while they ate, swirling her straw around her drink. He couldn't help but notice it. She wasn't a chatty person by any means - and he tended to talk enough to fill up any gaps without noticing - but it felt a little more introspective than that. She didn't ignore him by any means, but it was obvious that she was kind of out of the moment too. She got like that sometimes. Despite her loud quirk, her badass singing and musical talent, and sometimes brash personality, she was an introvert. He was cool with that. It was normal.

"This is weird, isn't it?" Kaminari blurted.

"Huh?" Jirou jerked her eyes back to him, a startled look on her face. "What? No, it isn't. I've had a blast."

"Yeah, me too, but like-" Kaminari waved his hands in the air, like he was trying to capture the right words. Why wouldn't they come to him? It shouldn't be this difficult to gather his thoughts. "I mean, it's weird that it isn't weird. We're supposed to be on a first date and we haven't…"

Jirou sank in on herself and gave him a sheepish look. "We haven't acted like it at all."

"Yeah!" He shouldn't have sounded so excited, but he was relieved that he wasn't the only one thinking it. He would have felt like an asshole and a dumbass if she'd thought they were having a great date. Not that he wasn't having fun, but it wasn't...a date. "It just feels like normal."

"Ugh." Jirou folded her arms on top of the table and buried her face. "I'm really sorry, Kaminari. I don't know what's wrong with me. When you asked me out, I thought it would be a good idea. And I had a shit ton of fun, but like… I don't know. Every time I thought I should do something more, I didn't."

Kaminari shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. I didn't either."

"Yeah," Jirou said slowly, lifting her head up, "that's true." She bit her lip and sighed. "I guess I just thought it would be a good distraction and maybe I'd like...catch feelings or something."

Despite the fact that he was essentially being told that a second date was a no go and the date was a bust, Kaminari didn't actually feel bad. In fact he snorted and said, "I might be an idiot, but I don't think that's how it works."

"You're not an idiot," Jirou replied softly. "You're a really good friend. I shouldn't have used you like this because of my own issues."

Kaminari fiddled with his chopsticks. He didn't want to admit it, but she deserved to know the truth, especially after she had opened up to him. That was what friends were for, right? "If it makes you feel any better, I think I was doing the same thing."

Jirou raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

"Okay, I was definitely doing the same thing," Kaminari huffed. She smiled at him. "So we're now both asses and we can continue with our mutual suffering together at least."

"Oh?" Jirou pulled her head away from her arms fully. "So who are you trying to get over?"

Immediately getting on the defensive and turning pink, Kaminari asked, "What about you?"

Instead of answering, Jirou shook her head. "No way, lover boy, you're the one that started this by asking me out on a date. You answer first." She folded her arms across her chest and smirked, like she'd checkmated him. She usually did.

She also had a point. "Don't laugh at me," he told her seriously. She mimed zipping her mouth shut. He sighed. "It's Uraraka."

A look of surprise flashed on Jirou's face. "Really?"

Kaminari dropped his forehead on the table, forging the comfort of his arms. "Yeah, since like...August. Maybe even before that? I was too dumb to realize it." How had he not realized it until then? How dumb could he be? Then again, Midoriya still had never caught on to the fact that Uraraka had harbored a crush on him for so long, so it could've been worse.

"Hm," Jirou hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, looking back on it, I can totally see it. I guess I was too into my own stuff to notice you majorly crushing on her."

"Not that it's gonna go anywhere!" Kaminari exclaimed miserably, lifting his head and slumping in the booth. "She just sees me as a friend and I like being friends with her. How is she gonna look at me any other way when I'm competing with guys like Todoroki, Bakugou, or Kirishima? I'd choose Shoji over me! The only one with a worse chance than me is probably Mineta and that's only because he's still a total perv who can't appreciate her for how awesome she is."

Who was he kidding? There was no way he stood a chance with her. So many guys probably liked her and they stood a better chance with her too. He wasn't the most handsome or the strongest or the richest. He certainly wasn't the smartest. She could do so much better than him. She would. And he'd stand by and smile and watch it all happen because he was her friend and that...actually mattered a lot to him.

"Wow," Jirou said, staring at him, "you've really started to grow."

"I'm not a fan," Kaminari grumbled. "It was easier when…"

"When girls were just things to ogle?" Jirou finished.

Kaminari sunk further in his booth. That made him sound like a total jackass. It was no wonder he'd never gotten a date before. "Yeah, if you could just end my suffering now, that would be great."

"Well, hey, look at it this way," Jirou told him. "It could be worse."

"How can it possibly be worse?" Kaminari groaned, cursing the gods for bestowing this teenage struggle on him.

"You could have a crush on someone who not only just sees you as a friend but is probably straight so you'll definitely never have a chance with them," Jirou pointed out in a flat, defeated tone.

For a moment, all Kaminari could do was gawk at her as he processed her words. Her cheeks burned and she turned to look at the window, unable to meet his surprised gaze any longer. "Oh." His mind went through a series of flashes as he looked back on all of his memories of Jirou in the past few months. He knew that he wasn't the most observant of people, but if he thought about it hard enough… "Yaoyorozu!"

"Sh!" Jirou hissed, leaning forward and slapping a hand over his mouth. He blinked at her. "You wanna tell the whole world?" He shook his head. She sighed and pulled her hand away, sinking back. "I haven't exactly...told anyone. You know what I mean?"

"You know I'm bad at keeping secrets, right?" Kaminari told her. She snorted. "I won't tell anyone, of course!"

"No, I think..." Jirou tugged on one of her earjacks. He hadn't seen her do that in a long time, not since their first year. "I don't know what I think, but I wouldn't mind people knowing. I'd be relieved." She looked at him sharply and he jumped in his seat like he'd zapped himself. "But don't you dare tell anyone about Momo or I'll tell everyone you made me pay for my dinner."

Kaminari waved his hands frantically. "I won't!"

Jirou grinned at him. "I'm kidding. Maybe."

Even if she was, he didn't want to push his luck. If other girls thought he made her pay for her own date, then he'd never get another one again while he was in high school. They were all independent young women, of course, so he wasn't expected to pay for everything, but it was the nice thing to do. And he was still going to pay even though the date had fallen through tremendously - because he kind of felt like they were stronger friends for it.

"Thanks for not hating me," Kaminari told her.

"Same here," Jirou replied. "And hey, maybe you should just ask her instead of trying to get over her. That's what people normally do when they have a crush, right? She might surprise you."

It was friendly advice, but unfortunately, Kaminari did not think it would turn out as well as she hoped.

* * *

In their third year, Kaminari decided it was time to put up or shut up. He hadn't tried to ask another girl out since Jirou. To be honest, he had barely looked at another girl in that way that wasn't Uraraka. He was miserable. He hated it. Crushes were awful. No wonder Uraraka had shoved hers on Midoriya aside in favor of school. He tried to do the same - he really did - but it didn't work. Why didn't it work?

By now, he knew that being a hero wasn't just about scoring hot chicks and looking super cool. His once thriving friendship with Mineta had mostly dissolved. It was hard to be friends with someone that made lewd comments about their classmates. He was expected to agree, make some of his own, or laugh - like he had done before - but he didn't feel it anymore. Instead, it made his stomach turn, thinking of all the times he'd looked at one of his peers and didn't see a future hero. He had never thought of himself like that, partly because he felt like he was better looking and stronger than Mineta, but the truth was that he hadn't been any better.

Things came to an abrupt halt when Mineta said something about Uraraka's body, which had definitely developed even more since their first year, and Kaminari just...snapped.

"Would you shut the fuck up?" He didn't know where the words had come from. He hadn't even really been paying much attention to Mineta, but the moment he heard Uraraka's name, he zeroed in on it. Everything else spilled out of him completely unfiltered. "Uraraka is a goddamn hero. She's not just some hot body you can drool after and paw at when you have an opportunity. She's clever, kind, funny, brave, and super strong. Show her some fucking respect, man. Stop being such a weirdo. It's not cool, especially not with her."

Mineta gaped at him like he had grown a second head. "What is up with you, seriously? You've been acting like you have a stick up your ass for months."

"I just…" Kaminari didn't know. He had no idea where that had come from, except maybe his consuming, massive crush on Uraraka and the desire to protect her, make her happy, and all that other cheesy stuff. "It's not funny anymore. I'm tired of it."

He looked at Uraraka, who was laughing with Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. They were all sitting in their hero costumes after class had ended. He remembered obsessing over how skintight her suit was. His stomach flipped. Man, he really had been an asshole.

Mineta's gaze followed his before he could look away and landed on Uraraka again. The moment realization bloomed in his eyes, he widened them. "Oh man, you've got a crush on her!"

Kaminari turned red and his throat constricted. The last person he wanted to know about his crush on Uraraka was Mineta and they were supposed to be tight. Why did it just make him uncomfortable? "I've gotta go. I've got, uh, homework."

He did, in fact, have homework to do, but it was still the lamest excuse in the world, which he could tell by the way Mineta laughed as he walked away. He accidentally caught eyes with Uraraka, who smiled at him, and hurried even further. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. He was supposed to ask her out and be cool, but now Mineta was probably going to blow his cover. He had to ask her out before Mineta said something or it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

* * *

Kaminari got his third chance at asking her out approximately three days later. It was completely unplanned and he wasn't sure why he did it. He saw her studying in the common area one night, thought about Mineta's cackle, and everything spilled out of him once again. He had planned on properly asking her out, maybe get her flowers, or at the least have some sort of speech planned. Two and a half years at UA had taught him the power of planning and it was kind of nice. He wasn't always good at it, but he'd been trying to be better.

This was not the case.

"Hey, Uraraka," Kaminari greeted. If he had Bakugou's quirk, he probably would've blown himself up from how sweaty his palms were right now.

She smiled up at him. "What's up? Come to help me with Present Mic's outline? I think he's trying to kill us."

"Are you doing anything Saturday?" Kaminari asked, completely ignoring what she'd said. He tried not to wince. This was a bad start. He should've acknowledged her response. He should've talked about that instead of all the other things rattling around in his brain.

"Um…" Uraraka thought carefully. "I don't think so. I don't have any solid plans at least."

"Do you want to date me?" Kaminari blurted out. She widened her eyes. "No, shit, that's not- I mean, do you want to go out for dinner? Lunch? Uh, a date? Like a date date."

This was awful, the worst, the most horrendous way a person could ask someone out. He was going to be a hero. He had fought villains multiple times already! He'd nearly died a few times. Why was asking her out or telling her how he felt so terrifying?

"Oh, um…" Uraraka didn't seem to know what to say, which of course she didn't. He wasn't making any sense.

"I really like you," Kaminari kept going, even though his brain was screaming at him to stop. What was he doing? What was he saying? He was supposed to play this cool, not ramble like a mad man. "Like you're cool, funny, super badass, and pretty. Uh, not just pretty! You're more than that." He rubbed the back of his neck and stared down at his feet. "I've liked you for a while and I was afraid of saying something because you've really become one of my closest friends and you kinda made me think of how much of an ass I was." He took a deep breath. "Which is why you don't have to say yes. You don't have to go on a date with me. Your friendship is more important."

Silence fell over them in the wake of his proclamation. Thank everything she was the only one in the room right now or he really would've launched himself out of the nearest window. He was afraid to look at her, but he knew he had to eventually. However shitty his attempt had been, it was out there. It definitely wasn't the most concise way of asking her out or telling her how he felt, but it was done. He couldn't take it back. Even if she said no, a sense of relief came over him. Bottling things up had never been his style.

"Kaminari, this is…"

He looked up at her and his stomach dropped. Uraraka was biting her lip. She looked nervous. The fact that she hadn't responded or said yes immediately confirmed his fears, but he didn't say anything. He couldn't, mostly because he knew he'd just sputter again.

Uraraka looked down at the book in her lap. "I don't know…"

"I'm sorry," Kaminari sighed. "This was stupid. I'm stupid."

"No, you're not!" Uraraka exclaimed quickly, a frantic look on her face. "I just…" The look changed from frantic to embarrassed, which blew his mind a little. What did she have to be embarrassed about? He was the one who had made a fool out of himself and possibly made things super awkward between them. "I made a promise to myself in our first year not to date during high school. I had this huge crush and it was just a distraction and it made me feel really bad."

"No, I get it," Kaminari said. "I do."

"I-" Uraraka hesitated. "You mean a lot to me."

Oh, gods, this was worse than being outright told no. It was excruciating. He knew she was trying to be sweet, like always, but it still sucked.

"You mean a lot to me too," Kaminari replied in a hollow tone.

Uraraka buried her face in her hands. "Oh my god, that sounded so stereotypical, like it was straight out of a movie, but I mean it. You've become one of my closest friends in the past two years, but I can't think about anything further than that now ,not about anyone." She sniffed. Shit, was she crying? "You probably think I'm mean or selfish."

"N-no!" Kaminari smacked himself in the face. He'd asked her out, told her how he felt, and made her cry. Yeah, this was going great. "You're not selfish." She pulled her face out of her hands and looked up at him, a hopeful gleam in her watery eyes. "We're here to be heroes, not...date or whatever. It's kind of hard to think about normal things like that when we almost die every other weekend."

A short laugh tumbled out of Uraraka. "It really is." She wiped her eyes. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't apologize," Kaminari told her. "It sounds kinda weird."

"I don't want things to get weird," Uraraka said.

Kaminari shook his head. "I mean, they probably will be for a little, but I'm not mad or anything. Bummed? For sure." He gave her his brightest smile. He was a hero. He wasn't going to cry about this. Besides, he'd meant what he said when he told her that her friendship was important to him. He didn't want to lose her because she'd made a commitment to focusing on school and her future. "But you're my friend and you're a badass."

"I don't feel like one right now," Uraraka admitted.

"You can kick my ass in class tomorrow if it makes you feel better," Kaminari joked.

"I'd rather you kick mine," Uraraka laughed. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Are we okay?"

Kaminari smiled at her. He couldn't help it. She had said "we" instead of "you", which felt important to him for some reason, like it really did affect her a lot. Maybe she didn't feel the same way as him, but she still cared enough to check if he still wanted to be friends with her after she'd turned him down.

"Yeah, we're okay," Kaminari said, genuinely feeling like he was telling the truth. Yeah, it really sucked and his heart was making a home in the pit of his stomach, but he had kind of had a feeling it would end this way. Despite all of his anxiety about Bakugou, Todoroki, or any other guy or girl that was way better than him, she hadn't come off as interested in anyone since Midoriya. Some people had thought she still had a crush on him, but it hadn't seemed like it to him. "You're the most creative when it comes to pranks and my fiercest competition in Street Fighter. I can't settle for Kirishima or Sero."

Uraraka blushed and ducked her head. "Thank you."

It didn't make him feel any better, but he'd get over it. He always did. He never let things get the best of him, if only because he never thought about them too much. He would laugh and joke and everything would be fine. He was known for being carefree and that was what he would do. Maybe, now that he'd asked her out and she said no, he would get over her. That made sense, right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes:** Every time I say that Kaminari is bad at keeping secrets is me plugging my ears and pretending the traitor theory doesn't exist. He's a good boy! Also, I forgot about Bakugou in this fic, but Kela reminded me and went back to fix that. I'm glad I did, even if the scene went in a different direction than planned. Bakugou does what he wants. Thanks for reading!

* * *

To be honest, despite telling himself that he would remain positive in the face of Uraraka's rejection, Kaminari had kind of known that he would stew over the whole thing. After all, he had spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about and crushing on Uraraka, so it was kind of something he couldn't easily forget.

Kaminari knew that he was a positive person, but he was in one of his down moods. He couldn't help it. He'd learned not to let things get the best of him, but there were moments when he couldn't not think about how Uraraka didn't want to be with him. She hadn't even said that she didn't like him, just that she had committed to not dating anyone during high school. How was he supposed to take that? Kirishima noticed a difference in his attitude and even Ashido asked him if he was okay, but he would always smile and say he was great.

Because he was great. He was on his way to be a pro hero. What could be better?

As with many things in life, help came in the unlikeliest of forms: specifically that of Bakugou, who, on a scale of one to ten in Kaminari's opinion, was about a two with comforting. He did give great advice (sometimes, maybe, if you could call being yelled at getting advice), so Kaminari knew to listen when Bakugou kicked his feet off the table at the couches and demanded, "What's with that dumb look on your face?"

"I don't have a dumb look on my face!" Kaminari protested.

Bakugou snorted. "You always have a dumb look on your face - because it's your fucking face - but this one is more like Todoroki when he's discovered a new emotion."

Kaminari opened his mouth to argue and then prompt shut it. No sense in trying to fight with him. Bakugou was right about everything even when he wasn't. And, to be fair, since he had been mooning over Uraraka and his lost chance with her, he probably did look like he was pouting. He sighed and Bakugou nodded decisively before sitting down.

Now Bakugou didn't usually pay attention to the emotional problems of his friends (or, well, he did, but he never brought them up himself), so Kaminari was somewhat surprised to hear him ask, "So what is it?"

"What's what?" Kaminari blinked. Bakugou stared him down, unamused. "Oh, it's nothing…"

"It's clearly something," Bakugou said. "You've practically stopped spamming the group chat with dumbass memes and I even manage to forget you're in class because you aren't blabbing as much." He folded his arms across his chest, his big muscly arms. Would Uraraka have been able to turn him down if he was as in shape as Bakugou? Maybe she had told him she wasn't dating in high school so he wouldn't feel bad. Maybe she was actually into someone else and she wanted to let him down easy. "You're wearing the look again."

"Ah, sorry!" Kaminari shook his head. Positive thoughts. Fun thoughts. He was cheerful, carefree guy!

Bakugou tapped a finger on his bicep. Did he have to wear tank tops all the time? It made the other guys look bad. Kaminari knew he was in shape, but he'd always be kind of...skinny. He didn't have the body type to bulk up like Bakugou, Kirishima, or even Midoriya.

And then Bakugou completely threw him for a loop when he asked, "Does this have to do with Uraraka turning you down?"

Kaminari sputtered and nearly bit on his tongue before almost squealing, "What? How-?"

"I walked in on the tailend of it," Bakugou interrupted, pretty chill for how he usually was. He'd gotten better about that in the past two years. He didn't yell all the time, ust most of it. "You handled it pretty well. At least you didn't cry, even if you did go through that 'oh but we can still be friends' route."

"What else was I supposed to do?" Kaminari accused. "I don't want to lose her."

Bakugou shrugged. "Aren't you doing that by giving up?"

"I'm not giving up." Kaminari was definitely giving up. "I'm just...valuing her friendship."

Even if she was interested in him, which she had not said, she didn't want to date. What else was he supposed to do? Continue to pine after her, wait until they graduated, and then ask her out again? What if they took jobs at agencies far away from each other? What if she found someone else by then? What if he missed out on someone else? He'd already spent too long drowning in an unrequited crush. What if he was wasting his time for no reason?

"So what? You're gonna be just friends with her and forget about having a crush on her for over a year?"

"How do you know it's been that long?" If he could melt into the couch, Kaminari would do it. Hagakure's invisibility quirk would be nice right about now.

"You can't keep a secret," Bakugou told him. "You're super obvious. Plus, you make this weird high-pitched nervous laugh whenever Uraraka does something you probably think is cute."

Kaminari turned bright red. "I do not!" He probably did. She did a lot of cute things. "Okay, well, if I was so obvious, then how come she didn't know I liked her?"

"Because you might be obvious, but she's way more oblivious," Bakugou pointed out. He leaned back on the couch. "Plus, ever since she got over that dumb crush on Deku, she's been super focused on school - which you should be too, you dumbass. Don't you know how strong your quirk is?"

Furrowing his brow, Kaminari muttered, "Well, yeah, it is strong, but-"

"No, man, it's really fucking strong," Bakugou cut in, almost sounding kind of angry now. It took Kaminari off guard. So much for chill, comforting Kacchan. "You could be near the top of the class if you fully applied yourself, but every time you get close, you back off and crack a joke. It's like you're afraid of being great because you know it'll mean more responsibility."

"That's stupid," Kaminari said.

"Yeah, it is," Bakugou replied. "Uraraka realized that too. That's why she cut out that shit and focused on school and now she's running laps around people." A muscle in his jaw twitched and his voice dropped to a grumble when he added, "She told me the same thing when I asked her out."

"Oh, yeah, she's gr-" Kaminari's brain finally caught up with his tongue and he stopped cold. "She what?" His eyes almost bugged out his head. "You asked her out? She turned you down?"

Bakugou leaned forward to slap him upside the head, scowling furiously at him, and hissed, "You wanna talk a little louder, Sparky?"

"I mean, kinda," Kaminari said unthinkingly, rubbing his head. Did Bakugou have to hit so hard? It wasn't like they were fighting against each other in class right now. "I can't believe you asked her out. I can't believe she turned you down. You're...you! I wouldn't turn you down." Bakugou rolled his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. "When was this?"

"Beginning of the year," Bakugou told him. "I could respect that though - kinda made me like her more, to be honest. I should've done the same thing. I'd told myself when I started here that I'd do that." Kaminari definitely had not done that. Getting a girlfriend had been one of his main goals. It embarrassed him now that he thought about it, especially when compared to Bakugou and Uraraka. "So you can sit here and mope about getting rejected or you can take a note out of her book and get your shit together and be better. What do you want to do?"

"I…" Kaminari frowned. "I wanna be better?"

"Then do it." Bakugou rocked forward and got to his feet. "I'm not friends with losers."

Uh, he kind of had been back in their first year, maybe, but Kaminari wasn't about to point that out, especially since he seemed to be at his friendly advice limit. He simply nodded his head and gave Bakugou a thumbs up. The guy had a point. He was at the top of their class, so it was good advice. He should be focused on school and if Bakugou thought he had it in him to be even stronger then he should do that. Bakugou didn't just give out compliments. When he said something, he meant it.

After that, Kaminari changed his outlook completely - or as much as he could. If Uraraka had turned down Bakugou, then she really was serious about her commitment and school and he should too. It didn't change things overnight, but it did give him something to work toward instead of feeling stagnant. And then, it kind of hit him one night when he turned to say something to her and she wasn't there like normal because things were still a little weird after his confession.

Yeah, getting turned down by her had sucked, but that didn't stop him from wanting her to be around. He could grumble and complain about getting friendzoned like Bakugou said he was doing - or he could accept it and enjoy being her friend like he had before he'd admitted his feelings for her. Saying them out loud didn't change who they were.

Maybe it wasn't the most incredible and eye-opening revelation, but it meant something to him.

Kaminari knew he wasn't going to get over his crush overnight. It was still there, ever present and awkward as before, but he'd done his part. Uraraka still looked at him sideways sometimes and he'd catch himself wishing he could ask her again, but they never talked about it. She had a goal in mind and nothing was going to change that. He didn't want to change it. Bakugou was right. He focused on his friends. He focused on school. He focused on becoming a hero.

He got better. Stronger, faster, maybe even a little smarter.

With nothing holding the two of them together, Kaminari drifted away from Mineta. It was kind of sad, even if no one else would believe so. The two of them had been really tight. He used to picture them graduating together, surrounded by hot girls wanting their autographs. It was so dumb to think back on now, but at the time, when he'd been sixteen, it had seemed so important and like the pinnacle of his time at UA.

Maybe it was a part of growing up, but it didn't exactly make him feel better. Either one day Mineta would figure out his priorities were wrong or he wouldn't. Some heroes were selfish like that. Not everyone had positive goals in mind when doing positive things. There wasn't really anything he could do about that, so he had cut his losses and strengthened his friendships with everyone else. Instead of Mineta, it was Sero at his right and Ashido at his left, three of them doing their old victory dance with Kirishima and Uraraka.

And then his time at UA was over and Kaminari really had no choice but to move on.

Kaminari had experienced hero work before, but it was different without a school to report back to after. Instead, he went to his apartment, which he shared with Sero. Instead of him and Mineta scoring babes, it was more like him and Sero scoring as many naps as possible. Being a sidekick was grueling work, especially new ones. They got the long, weird shifts that no one wanted and there was so much paperwork involved that older heroes dropped on their desks last minute.

If there was one thing Kaminari hated more, it was paperwork. It was essentially grown up homework. He was not a fan at all.

Since they worked at the same agency, they often had opposing schedules. Kaminari liked to think that he was doing a great job. His quirk, which he had thought disadvantageous before, set him apart from the rest of the sidekicks there. Electricity quirks were fairly common, but he'd found out during his time at UA that his was one of the stronger ones. With the Support Department's help and a boat load of training, he had made it into something more. He wasn't just a stun grenade. He was a shock to the system.

It really did feel good to do good and be good at it.

For the first time in months, the two of them had the same day off and they decided to take advantage of it, calling up old friends and setting up a game night party. Hey, just because they were heroes didn't mean they couldn't have a bit of fun. They were still only eighteen, after all. They weren't going to go completely serious. Even though most everyone had moved away, they remained in contact via a lot of texting, group chats, and video calls. Ashido preferred video calls over just talking over the phone.

He wished Uraraka did, but she was kind of embarrassed about her apartment. Unlike some of them, she had opted to live on her own again, which meant finding a place suited to her budget. That meant a lot of late night calls and sticking with all the obnoxious snapchats they sent back and forth. Unlike a lot of people, she didn't bother always trying to send the cutest pic. She loved to make silly and ugly faces, which he did in return. He was tempted to screenshot a few of them, but then she would be notified and he would be super embarrassed.

Some days, Kaminari thought he was over his crush on her and he should start dating around. Other times, after staying up way too late talking to her since they had strange shifts, he was pretty sure this was going to be the hill he died on.

When he and Sero had decided on throwing the get together, Kaminari's first action was to call her, if only because she'd told him that she had the day off. "Hey, what are you doing today?"

"Hey to you too," Uraraka joked. "Um, I'm not sure yet. I haven't really decided on getting out of bed yet."

"Well, I know what you're doing," Kaminari told her confidently.

Uraraka snorted. "That doesn't sound creepy at all."

"You're coming over to our place for a video game night!" Kaminari declared. "Ashido is coming too. I heard she's even bringing sake. We're adults now. That means you have to make an appearance."

"That does sound better than just staying home watching TV in my pajamas," Uraraka mused. He could hear the smile in her voice, which made him smile stupidly in return. "Okay, you've convinced me. Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Just that sweet smile of yours," Kaminari shot off. Ah, shit, that was so stupid. "And maybe a snack."

Luckily, Uraraka laughed. "I can do that. I'll see you later!"

"Yeah, later!"

As soon as that was done, Kaminari set about cleaning their small apartment, which turned out to be a bigger task than he had originally envisioned. How had they managed to make things so messy? When was the last time they'd done their dishes? They were both living out of their laundry baskets. Why didn't they throw things away the moment they were done with them? Did they even own a vacuum or a wet jet?

He didn't stop until Sero walked into the apartment and blurted, "Are you cleaning? Are you feeling okay, man?"

Okay, so maybe he'd gone a little overboard. It would be fine. It wasn't like any of their friends (or Uraraka) were expecting a pristine place from him and Sero.

Once everyone was there, the night went off without a hitch. It really was like old times for the night, except now they had a lot more stories to tell each other. Kirishima had gotten into some crazy skirmishes with villains up north while Ashido was stuck being sidelined by some of the older sidekicks who hadn't wanted fresh blood in their agency. Everyone liked Sero, who was surprisingly making a splash already.

Bakugou, of course, hadn't been able to make it. He was pulling double shifts half the time, blowing his way through the ranks of the sidekicks at the agency he'd chosen. If he wanted to make the transition from sidekick to pro in two years and have his own agency by the time he was twenty-three at the latest, he couldn't afford to take any extra time off.

At her chosen agency, Uraraka was showing proficiency at being a rescue hero. It was painful work, even more grueling than usual sidekick work. She was still just a sidekick too, but he had a feeling she would rise faster than a lot of their former classmates. After all, her quirk negated gravity. There was nothing holding her down. By the time they'd graduated, she was one of the best fighters in their class, but she truly felt like she belonged in rescue work. It was more rewarding, even if it was sometimes emotionally taxing. She didn't have as many awesome stories as the rest of them, but the ones she did tell meant a lot.

They played video games, they ate junk food, and even had some sake, although Kaminari was smart enough not to drink a lot of it this time. He did not want to repeat that one night in their third year where he got sick off the stuff. Aizawa had to have known they'd gotten into something the night before because he had been particularly creative in their hero class that day.

All in all, it was a really fun night. By the time it came to an end, Sero turning in for the night and Kirishima and Ashido using each other as pillows on the floor, it was just him and Uraraka. The two of them were crammed together on the small couch, ruthlessly duking it in one of their UA favorites, Street Fighter. She had her tongue sticking out and kept bumping him whenever she jumped or leaned to the side along with her character. He had almost forgotten how into it she got while playing games.

He still beat her. After all, he had been practicing while she was gone.

"No!" Uraraka cried out, slumping back against the couch and dropping the controller in her lap. "I can't believe you beat me _again_."

Kaminari gave her a shit-eating grin. "You've been slacking."

"Hmph, it's not my fault." Uraraka gazed up at him with a mock-pout on her face. They were playing in the dark, the light of the tv glowing on her face. "Maybe if you invited me over more, I wouldn't be out of practice."

Even after all this time, Kaminari's heart betrayed him and he stuttered out, "Y-yeah? I should do that then."

"Yeah, you really should," Uraraka said in a warm voice. She turned her fake pout into a shy smile and looked back at the tv, toggling with her controller. He looked at her hands. She always played with her pinky fingers sticking out so she didn't accidentally float the controller. It was really cute. He wished he didn't still think that. "You know what you should also do?"

Kaminari rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you can have the bed. I'll take the couch."

Uraraka giggled. "No, not that, although thank you. This couch might be comfier than my bed, so I can't imagine how nice your bed will be." She took a deep breath, eyes still very much focused on the tv. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he thought her cheeks were pinker than normal. "You should take me out on a date."

He accidentally fried the controller in his hands and Uraraka sputtered into laughter as smoke drifted into the air.

"Oh, man," Kaminari groaned. "Sero is gonna kill me."

Biting her lip as he set the now very useless controller on the coffee table, Uraraka asked, "So, uh, what do you think?"

"Uh, well..." Yeah, out of all the things he'd hoped would happen tonight, getting asked out by Uraraka hadn't been on his list. He hadn't even thought to hope for that because it sounded impossible and ridiculous. He'd asked her out three times, once a year, which probably made him look like a creep when she thought back on it. He had known moving on was the best option.

And then she turned that question around on him. She was so cool like that.

Kaminari gave her what was probably his goofiest grin ever. "Yeah, I'm gonna take you on a date! It's gonna be the best date ever. Oh, I can take you out for mochi finally."

"Don't worry," Uraraka snickered. "We're two broke hero sidekicks. I'm not expecting all the bells and whistles."

"Are you kidding me?" Kaminari shook his head. "I've only asked you out three times and failed! I've got high expectations for myself."

Uraraka tilted her head, giving him a confused and curious look. "Three times? I only know of the one. When were the other two times?"

"Girl," Kaminari said, "you've got no idea how crazy you drove me. I felt like the biggest idiot."

"Hm, I think I know what might make you feel better," Uraraka replied as she set her controller down. She sounded confident, but she was wearing a shy look again. That was something he always found admirable about her. Even if she was nervous, she pushed through things. Because she might not be totally confident all the time, but she was brave.

Kaminari furrowed his brow. "What's that?" Instead of answering his question, Uraraka turned to face him and sat up on the couch on her legs so that her face was parallel with his. Still, she didn't say anything, just looked him in the eyes. He stared back at her in confusion. Her eyes dropped to his lips and then back up to his eyes. Her answer struck him like he'd put a fork in an electric socket and he blushed as much as her. "Oh, yeah!" He grinned. "Yeah, that will make me feel loads better, I think."

"A few, just to be sure," Uraraka stated, her face now bright red.

He couldn't help it. He laughed. "Can't be too careful."

Hey, she was the rescue hero. She knew what was best for him in stressful situations. Plus, she could've told him to do a handstand and he probably would've done it after she asked him out. All those times he'd agonized over his failure, bad wording, and piss poor timing and it turned out that he just had to wait for her to ask him. He had always envisioned being the one asking girls out and scoring dates, so of course it made perfect sense that it was completely the opposite.

Kaminari was definitely not complaining about that, especially not after more than a few minutes of kissing. He could get used to this. Nope, he wasn't complaining at all.


End file.
